Derek Jeter, 36, is coming off an uninspired season at shortstop. His skills only figure to diminish over the next three to five years, because that’s simply the way the human body operates.

Yet here’s Jeter, trying to use his marketability and mystique to blackmail the Yankees team he supposedly represents. It’s greedy, it’s outlandish and it’s unfair. … The Bombers need to keep playing hardball and not give in to their captain.

If there’s one other thing the Yankees are great at besides raising World Series banners, it’s flexing their financial muscles to get deals done. And that’s why their reluctance to do it for Derek Jeter, arguably their most important free agent, is so perplexing.

The same team that once allocated $46 million for Kei Igawa suddenly wants to play hardball with Jeter. … This is no time for a financial epiphany by the Yankees.

Ouch. So while we can go back and forth if three years and $45 million is really fair for Jeter, it all might become a moot point soon. All indications were that Tuesday’s session in Tampa, Fla. was productive between the two sides, and there seems to be reason for optimism that this all might be sorted out in the near future.

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$18 million…3 years with a 4th year option is fine and it gets the deal done.

If Jeter thinks that is not enough then he is out of his mind.

Is he really this jealous of Arod??? Different situation for a better player….Jeter should have never signed a 10-year deal to begin with and than he would have signed another big one 2 or 3 years back.

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